Analytical Review of the Impact of Martial Law on the Adaptation of English Terminology in Ukraine

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46991/TSTP/2025.5.2.078

Keywords:

transformation of universities, education, English military terminology, adaptation of terminology, martial law conditions

Abstract

Martial Law in Ukraine, initiated due to Russia’s large-scale invasion in 2022, has significantly impacted various aspects of the country’s life, including linguistic processes. In globalisation and active collaboration with international organisations, English is crucial in professional communication, particularly in defense, medical, technical and humanitarian fields. This study aims to review the impact of martial law on the adaptation of English terminology in Ukraine. The methods included structured interviews with students studying English and practising translation, surveys to collect quantitative data on challenges encountered while adapting English military terminology (the study focuses on military texts originating from the United States and the United Kingdom) into Ukrainian and observations of educational sessions. A total of 43 academic works were selected to explore the article’s topic, conduct a comparative educational analysis and delve into translation processes and neology issues. The study involved 45 participants, including 15 students. The results revealed that incorporating English military terminology into Ukrainian has significantly accelerated and acquired new characteristics. The analysis of relevant literature uncovered the peculiarities of translating military terminology from diachronic and synchronic perspectives. The research findings have shown that English military terminology presents significant challenges and complexities in translation, as it serves both an expressive and a referential function. The exotic nature of these borrowed terms indicates connotative intensification, reflecting an ideologically rather than terminologically driven segmentation of extralinguistic reality.

Author Biographies

  • Vitalina Tarasova, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

    PhD, Associate Professor at the Department of Foreign Languages, Faculties of Chemistry and Physics, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine. She teaches English for Specific Purposes (Chemistry, Applied Physics), English for Academic Purposes and other courses in the Bachelor’s Programme, as well as English for Academic Purposes in the Master’s Programme. Her research interests include sociolinguistics, ethnolinguistics, cognitive linguistics and comparative linguistics.

  • Iryna Miroshnychenko, Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies

    PhD, Associate Professor at the Department of Foreign Languages, Scientific and Educational Institute “Dnipro Institute of Infrastructure and Transport,” Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies, Ukraine. She teaches English as a Foreign Language for Professional Purposes to undergraduate students in technical fields as well as Business English and Academic English to graduate students. Her research interests include translation, language compression, compressed text and mass media discourse.

  • Svitlana Shestakova, Sumy National Agrarian University

    PhD, Associate Professor; Head of the Department of State and Legal Disciplines and Ukrainian Studies at Sumy National Agrarian University, Ukraine. She teaches the course “Ukrainian Language and Academic Writing” as part of the Bachelor’s program. Her research focuses on the evolution of academic writing in the context of digital transformation, particularly regarding linguistic practices, technological tools and the influence of artificial intelligence.

  • Tetiana Chukhno, University of Customs and Finance

    PhD, Associate Professor of Foreign Philology at the Department of Translation and Professional Language Training, Faculty of Economics, Business, and International Relations, University of Customs and Finance, Ukraine. She teaches Theory and Practice of Translation from English into Ukrainian and other courses in the Bachelor’s Programme, as well as professional translation tools, terminology and translation of specialized texts in the Master’s Programme. Her research interests include terminology, stylistics and translation studies.

  • Anna Maksymova, Dnipropetrovsk University of Internal Affairs

    PhD, Associate Professor at the Department of Language Training, Dnipro State University of Internal Affairs, Ukraine. She teaches courses in foreign languages (English and German), professional foreign languages (English and German) and Modern Business English. Her research focuses on American phraseological units of the early 21st century, including their word formation and translation.

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Published

2025-12-20

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 2(10) (2025)

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Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Vitalina Tarasova, Iryna Miroshnychenko, Svitlana Shestakova, Tetiana Chukhno, Anna Maksymova

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How to Cite

Tarasova, Vitalina, Iryna Miroshnychenko, Svitlana Shestakova, Tetiana Chukhno, and Anna Maksymova. 2025. “Analytical Review of the Impact of Martial Law on the Adaptation of English Terminology in Ukraine”. Translation Studies: Theory and Practice 5 (2(10): 78-97. https://doi.org/10.46991/TSTP/2025.5.2.078.

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